The senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has stated that the challenge posed by Boko Haram in the North East is comparatively less significant than the issue of banditry, kidnapping, proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and cultism prevalent in other regions throughout the country.

New Telegraph reports that the senator made these remarks on Wednesday while providing context to his previous motion regarding the necessity for the Federal Government to elevate the Maiduguri airport to an international standard.

Ndume emphasized that the North East region should not be unfairly stereotyped due to past security challenges, underscoring the strategic significance of Maiduguri for facilitating the transportation of passengers embarking on international flights.

The senator noted that some people would express concerns over security due to Boko Haram, but the menace has ended.

He said: “If we have an airport in Maiduguri, that will solve problems associated with passengers embarking on international flights without even going to Lagos.

“The issue of Boko Haram has come and gone, and well, we thank God that these things are not happening elsewhere. I don’t want a situation where we will use this Boko haram as a stigma.

“This is how others started talking about the Haram issue in Maiduguri. Supposing now that you are from South West and terrorists are everywhere and they bring down a plane, or what they call unknown gunmen in the South East, will you now say it is not safe to have an international airport [there]?

“If it happened at the airport, would you say what guarantee do you have over security? Now, the Boko Haram issue is lesser compared to the bandits we have in the North West and is lesser than the problem we have with unknown gunmen, IPOB, and cultists in the South East. It’s less than kidnapping that is happening in your zone.

“All flights that go to the Middle East or North Africa, like Egypt, Ethiopia, and others, pass through Maiduguri every day, and we only hear the noise, but we don’t see them touching ground.

“All we are saying is that there are a lot of passengers in Maiduguri. We want to see them stop because any international flight that takes off from Abuja or Kano will definitely see passengers from Borno or other North East states like Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa, and Gombe.” (New Telegraph)